sometimesinvestor wrote:I have used taxcut but have the impresion that turbotax handles the case better where your foreign tax credit is large enough to require form 1116($300 single $600 joint)In particular taxcut requires you to fill out the form manually rather than just answering questions. This requires to understand the complicated form which at the minimum means reading the form instructions carefully

I do note that Taxcut deluk with one stae return is $44.95 but i guess its posible that if you have to file multiple state returns that turbo tax is less expensive

I used Taxcut and it didn't handle the foreign tax credit correctly so I switched to Turbotax and it didn't have a problem with the foreign tax credit. This was a few years ago that I switched to Turbotax.

I'd like to compare HR Block to Turbotax for State return. But I don't supposed there would be any way to do this without shelling out for both Turbotax Federal and State. I have a simple return that can probably be handled by Free Turbotax for Federal, but that seems to be possible only by doing your return online. I don't think there's any way just to buy the State and use it with Free Turbotax.

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

Easy Rhino wrote:I used both turbotax and taxcut and either would variously infuriate me for reasons I don't remember.

I started using TaxACT because it can be got to efile both fed and state very cheaply. I think it's like $15 if you "prereserve" a price. It also infuriates me occasionally but at least I save some money.

+1Been using TaxAct for 10 years now. You used to be able to get a real person on the phone if you had a question. Last year I got a real person by email. I figure that is better than I could do with either of the others, and I'm happy paying $17 for Fed & state combined along with free Federal e-file.

As a Boglehead I like to save money. Amazon has had H&R Block At Home Deluxe + State 2012 for $21.99 several times this month. This is far less expensive than TurboTax for me as I don't qualify for a free copy from Vanguard. I switched away from TurboTax a number of years ago due to cost.

Groundhog wrote:As a Boglehead I like to save money. Amazon has had H&R Block At Home Deluxe + State 2012 for $21.99 several times this month. This is far less expensive than TurboTax for me as I don't qualify for a free copy from Vanguard. I switched away from TurboTax a number of years ago due to cost.

Exactly. I never see any deals on Turbotax that even come close to this price for Federal + State. Not sure anybody has said anything that persuades me to spend more money on TT. You can also get HR Block Basic + State for the regular price of $29, and that's sufficient for my needs. The sale price on TT for Federal alone right now is $29 and then you have to cough up about $35 for a State program. Let me see: $22 or $65?

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

Groundhog wrote:As a Boglehead I like to save money. Amazon has had H&R Block At Home Deluxe + State 2012 for $21.99 several times this month. This is far less expensive than TurboTax for me as I don't qualify for a free copy from Vanguard. I switched away from TurboTax a number of years ago due to cost.

Exactly. I never see any deals on Turbotax that even come close to this price for Federal + State. Not sure anybody has said anything that persuades me to spend more money on TT. You can also get HR Block Basic + State for the regular price of $29, and that's sufficient for my needs. The sale price on TT for Federal alone right now is $29 and then you have to cough up about $35 for a State program. Let me see: $22 or $65?

I didn't get a deal this year, but it's common to get a deal on TurboTax with security software, or with Quicken. Last year, having already bought TaxACT, I found a $50 rebate on Quicken with purchase of TurboTax, so I bought a TurboTax Basic for $30 and then didn't use it.

Used TT for many years; decided to try Tax Cut. Did so for the past two years. Interface was simply not as smooth as TT's. I don't remember my exact complaints, but I do recall being seriously ticked at more than one point in the process with Tax Cut. So this year, back to TT. I gave Tax Cut a shot. Fail.

I used tax software since 1986. I believe it was always Turbotax until one year they asked for personal information to register before allowing updates and I and many others dropped them for Taxcut or something else. I cannot remember the year, but it may have been in 1999 or 2000. 'Apparently Turbotax stopped asking for the personal information the very next year as they lost more than a few customers.

Taxcut bundles corporate 1120S software with w-2, and w-3 forms for my business. I get Turbotax for free but have to pay extra for business software and I compare both and end up doing my personal and business taxes on Taxcut. I find some flaws and complaints with both programs. Turbotax seems to get their updates faster than Taxcut.

This year is the first time I have downloaded 1099s because the IRS rules have changed and there are more individual transactions to report, whereas in the past an accounts transactions were summed up by the MF company and required only one line entry. Now there may be 30 lines for the same fund when using check writing privileges or exchanging funds. Both programs had some hitches with downloading and Turbotax seemed to allow you to pick and choose which statements to download while Taxcut downloaded all 1099s available.

"Let us endeavor, so to live, that when we die, even the undertaker will be sorry." Mark Twain

SGM wrote:I used tax software since 1986. I believe it was always Turbotax until one year they asked for personal information to register before allowing updates and I and many others dropped them for Taxcut or something else. I cannot remember the year, but it may have been in 1999 or 2000. 'Apparently Turbotax stopped asking for the personal information the very next year as they lost more than a few customers.

Taxcut bundles corporate 1120S software with w-2, and w-3 forms for my business. I get Turbotax for free but have to pay extra for business software and I compare both and end up doing my personal and business taxes on Taxcut. I find some flaws and complaints with both programs. Turbotax seems to get their updates faster than Taxcut.

This year is the first time I have downloaded 1099s because the IRS rules have changed and there are more individual transactions to report, whereas in the past an accounts transactions were summed up by the MF company and required only one line entry. Now there may be 30 lines for the same fund when using check writing privileges or exchanging funds. Both programs had some hitches with downloading and Turbotax seemed to allow you to pick and choose which statements to download while Taxcut downloaded all 1099s available.

Is the interface for the online free version of TT the same as for other versions? I realize it's for simple returns, but that probably covers my needs, except for State. If so, it would give me a chance to compare it to HR Block's interface to see if it seems any better. If you use the free version for Federal can you purchase State and then link that to the online Federal form you've completed, or do you have to have the software version of TT to do that? I'd also like to see how TT State compares to HR Block's State.

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

Browser wrote:Is the interface for the online free version of TT the same as for other versions? I realize it's for simple returns, but that probably covers my needs, except for State. If so, it would give me a chance to compare it to HR Block's interface to see if it seems any better. If you use the free version for Federal can you purchase State and then link that to the online Federal form you've completed, or do you have to have the software version of TT to do that? I'd also like to see how TT State compares to HR Block's State.

Yeah, the interface is pretty much the same. It just doesn't give you access to everything. I don't use the free version of TT, but with the paid version, the state section will just pull over your federal information. There's almost no additional work required to do your state taxes once you're done federal. This is for the online version. The free version may be different, but I doubt it. And you only have to pay when you file. You can do your taxes and print out the forms for free if you want, at least for federal. Not 100% sure if the state section will let you print for free.

I used Tax act and one year it had a bug. It gave me some credit that I did not deserve as my income was too high. It did not bother to check my income. I got a nice letter from the IRS and had to first figure out what had gone wrong (ie who was right) and then I had to write a nice check. No penalties and I owed the money, but was a pain. I suppose any software can have a bug, but this turned me off to H&R Block.

Turbo tax has a nice tool for valuing stuff you give to Goodwill (or similar). We hand down a lot of clothes from my wife and kids as well as various household stuff. No way can I value it. If I did it I would greatly underestimate the value. Turbo tax has a database it uses. Not only does it mean I take larger deductions, if the IRS ever decides to call me on something I have a nice rational basis for how I arrived at my values. This tool alone is worth the cost to me.

We live a world with knowledge of the future markets has less than one significant figure. And people will still and always demand answers to three significant digits.

Rodc wrote:I used Tax act and one year it had a bug. It gave me some credit that I did not deserve as my income was too high. It did not bother to check my income. I got a nice letter from the IRS and had to first figure out what had gone wrong (ie who was right) and then I had to write a nice check. No penalties and I owed the money, but was a pain. I suppose any software can have a bug, but this turned me off to H&R Block.

Tax Act has nothing to do with H&R Block. H&R Block's software used to be known as TaxCut, and is now H&R Block At Home.

H&R Block did try to buy Tax Act in 2010 but the Justice Department shut down the deal.

Rodc wrote:I used Tax act and one year it had a bug. It gave me some credit that I did not deserve as my income was too high. It did not bother to check my income. I got a nice letter from the IRS and had to first figure out what had gone wrong (ie who was right) and then I had to write a nice check. No penalties and I owed the money, but was a pain. I suppose any software can have a bug, but this turned me off to H&R Block.

Tax Act has nothing to do with H&R Block. H&R Block's software used to be known as TaxCut, and is now H&R Block At Home.

H&R Block did try to buy Tax Act in 2010 but the Justice Department shut down the deal.

Typo. Thanks. I was using the H&R Block software.

We live a world with knowledge of the future markets has less than one significant figure. And people will still and always demand answers to three significant digits.

I can't believe how inexpensive TaxAct online is. like $19.99 for Fed+state. Works fine for my (uncomplicated) return so far. Shocked actually, that it works as well as it does, having been previous tied to premium $60 editions of Fed+state Turbotax.

I have switched back and forth between Turbotax and TaxCut/H&R Block At Home several times, tossed hither and yon by the tides of marketing and policy decisions. I have found there to be very little difference, overall, between them.

nisiprius wrote:I have switched back and forth between Turbotax and TaxCut/H&R Block At Home several times, tossed hither and yon by the tides of marketing and policy decisions. I have found there to be very little difference, overall, between them.

Other than pricing

"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee

TT is a family affair in our house, so switching would mean quite a bit of disruption. Not impressed with TT and difficulty in seeking answers for questions. TT has done a poor job with Wisconsin state forms for out of state residents.

Questions for Turbotax users:1. Does Turbotax calculate estimated tax for the current year as well as do the 1040 return?2. Does Turbotax handle foreign taxes paid as a tax credit or only as a deduction? (I tried to use it several years ago but it would only handle foreign tax as a deduction).

Captain_Video wrote:Questions for Turbotax users:1. Does Turbotax calculate estimated tax for the current year as well as do the 1040 return?2. Does Turbotax handle foreign taxes paid as a tax credit or only as a deduction? (I tried to use it several years ago but it would only handle foreign tax as a deduction).

Yes and either. RE foreign tax, I've only done credit, never the deduction. There used to be a trick to it; but now it's easy.

One year a long time ago the HR Block had big problems when I tried it; so have been using TT ever since, and for several years now the online version. So far so good, and the price is OK, so no reason to change. -- Tet

I just had an interesting experience with TaxAct, which is free, and my HR Block Deluxe software. I have an issue I'm exploring with the State program that involves calculating the tax credit for income tax paid to another state on my State return. This requires the completion of a supplementary Tax Credit form for my state. I was hopeful that the State tax program would step me though this process and make it painless. Well, HR Block punted and simply told me I needed to go find and complete the paper form and then enter the resultant tax credit amount to continue. But free TaxAct online actually brought up the tax credit form for me to complete, which I did. The form was confusing (no fault of TaxAct - the paper form is a Dog's Breakfast) and there were no instructions provided by TaxAct - you have to get those yourself to help with the process. And I don't know for sure that the credit computed by TaxAct is even correct. That aside, I thought it was interesting that HR Block was worthless for this and the free program wasn't (you can actually fill out the state return free on TaxAct - you only pay for it when you get to the filing step). Now I'm wondering if TT would be any better than HR Block with this sort of thing. They probably punt the ball too.

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

Captain_Video wrote:Questions for Turbotax users:1. Does Turbotax calculate estimated tax for the current year as well as do the 1040 return?2. Does Turbotax handle foreign taxes paid as a tax credit or only as a deduction? (I tried to use it several years ago but it would only handle foreign tax as a deduction).

1. Yes, TT has calculated estimated taxes every year as well as doing the return.2. Yes, TT has entered my passive foreign tax as a credit on line 47.

Browser wrote:(you can actually fill out the state return free on TaxAct - you only pay for it when you get to the filing step).

All three of the major tax programs don't make you pay until you're ready to file (or print, for paper filing), at least with the online versions. I've never used the desktop versions. You can use this to verify accuracy by using multiple programs for free, for both federal and state.

Browser wrote:(you can actually fill out the state return free on TaxAct - you only pay for it when you get to the filing step).

All three of the major tax programs don't make you pay until you're ready to file (or print, for paper filing), at least with the online versions. I've never used the desktop versions. You can use this to verify accuracy by using multiple programs for free, for both federal and state.

TacAct let me do my state return as well as federal. Don't pay for state unless you file. Do any others let you do state or only federal?

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

I've been using TurboTax for quite a number of years and will do so again this year. Can I do this myself? Sure, but remember to factor in the amount of time needed for preparation and filing.

I also do my parent's taxes, so it's worth the additional cost to have software that "just works." I'll file 2 Federal + 2 state returns, which are covered by the TurboTax Deluxe edition.

An additional cost is the e-filing for state, which I will gladly pay for my parent's return. They're at an age where I can't trust them to manage the paperwork, so e-filing assures me that everything was done correctly.

If you want to save money Tax Slayer and Tax Act seem to be the way to go. But when it comes to tax software, my time is the biggest factor for me. An extra $35 or $40 is well worth it to me if it can cut even an hour off my tax prep time.

Locked in $14 for TaxAct with Fed and State e-file. I have a pretty simple return (1040 with itemized deductions and a Schedule C) and it handles it great. Dropped TurboTax as soon as State Farm stopped giving it to me free. Did a 3 way comparison a few years ago and my taxes came out the same and none of the packages were better or worse than the others. So cheaper option it is. TurboTax will hose you on the state e-file.

Thanks to this thread I've discovered TaxAct, Online Tax, and TaxSlayer. I've had a chance to use the first two and compare the results to HR Block and everything lines up (mostly) for both Federal and State. You can do both for free, but you pay only if you file. Now that I know about this, I'll be sure to run my taxes using a couple of these to doublecheck the results of HR Block or whatever I'm using. I might even migrate over to one of these for good, but I still don't like the idea of entering all my secure information online. To just doublecheck I use bogus info but the correct data. So far I like TaxAct more than Online Tax, which doesn't walk you through as carefully. I had errors of omission that were hard to catch. Also, Online Tax makes you enter stuff that isn't needed just to calculate results, such as the Payer's Federal ID number in 1099-R - and for some reason it never would accept the correct ID number for Vanguard and forced me to enter a 9th digit (which there isn't one). I'll be interested how TaxSlayer does.

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

Browser wrote:Thanks to this thread I've discovered TaxAct, Online Tax, and TaxSlayer. ... I might even migrate over to one of these for good, but I still don't like the idea of entering all my secure information online.

Agree 100%. You can buy a downloadable version of Tax Act Federal & State. Install the software on your computer, and it runs standalone, even if you are not connected to the internet. Costs about $18 for Federal & State + free Federal E-file if you prebuy; It is $22 if you buy to download now, but I think they will send you an offer for $18 for next year.

rustymutt wrote:TT is a breeze. What are you asking? And it's free for most of us.

If it were free, I'd be using it too. LadyGeek found that best price for TT Federal + State right now is $40 at Amazon. I don't have a million at Vanguard so I can get a free copy from them. If I did, I could probably afford to buy it from Amazon.

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

First time using TT in years. I found a problem with how they did my state taxes as well as a work around. I attempted to let them know about it via their website, by posting to their question section the problem. Unfortunately it just was a match up of key words. Saw no "Report problems here" or anything similar that would accept an immediate report. Not willing to invest the time to figure out how to break through to them or post to their forums.

It saves me time over filling forms out myself (I used to fill out taxes by hand) and I'm dealing with thousand of dollars sent to the the two treasuries (fed+state).

Worrying about which one to use based on a $10-20 difference never crossed my mind.

If you find that it is more accurate, or can save me more money (legally of course) let me know.That is where the big money is.

Keep buying the other products, the competition keeps the prices down.

I personally use it because Turbo tax:imports last year's info, will guide me through new situations or let me fill out areas myself, I have friends who use it who can help when I encounter strange situations,it has estimates for charitable deductions for non-cash items,it estimates audit risk,it has all the forms,I am familar with it.

Not I ... anymore. I've used TT since my first computer in the early 90's. Having struggled for years doing taxes with a pencil, I thought I knew why computers were invented. I love quicken and always used TT, and for the most part never had a problem....until last year (a quarterly tax payment was posted, but did not show up in the calculations). Today I've spent at least 5 hours (with breaks) doing my taxes, but kept getting prompts on the schedule B, 1099-Div, requesting box info that was blank. I tried everything that was suggested - no luck. The "turbo" community comments about this 1099-Div common problem leads me to believe it is a known issue, but when "chatting" with the turbo help desk, they told me it it was "unusual" and asked me to send my work to a third party website for analysis. No Way!I don't think I'm paranoid, but I'm not about to do that. I'm exiting stage right from TT and trying another tax prep.

nisiprius wrote:I have switched back and forth between Turbotax and TaxCut/H&R Block At Home several times, tossed hither and yon by the tides of marketing and policy decisions. I have found there to be very little difference, overall, between them.

I've used TurboTax since I started filing my own taxes and I've always been happy with it. I tried the online TurboTax Deluxe this year and was able to get it for $19.99 through both USAA and Vanguard. I live in Florida so there's no state income tax so it was just $29.99 - $10.00 = $19.99 for the Deluxe edition. I was really pleased with the online version and will definitely continue with that route. No software to install on my computer, just log in and get it knocked out.

Anyone have any experience with TT State programs regarding computation of the penalty for underpayment of state estimated taxes? At least for my state, HR Block doesn't calculate it or bring up the state worksheet/form needed to do so. It sends you off to do this yourself. But both online programs I've used: TaxAct and Taxes Onliine do bring up the penalty worksheet/form so you can enter the appropriate data and calculate the penalty. However, comparing what they calculate to what I calculated by hand leads me to believe that they both do it wrong. How does TT handle this? If there's a shortcoming in HR Block it seems to be that it doesn't support doing some of these supplementary worksheets/forms. Another instance is computing the credit for taxes paid to another state, where HR Block sends you off to do it on your own; whereas TaxAct and Taxes Online both bring up the supplementary form so you can calculate it. Anybody know for sure what TT does with this sort of stuff in state programs?

The fox knows many little things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing ~ Archilochus | | "To the man with just a hammer, every problem looks pretty much like a nail" ~ Charlie Munger

I tried H&R Block 2012. It did not have the option to import data from Charles Schwab and although it does import 1099-DIV from other financial institutions it does not give details of the fund information other than just "Vanguard" for all of them.